Album Review: Barista "Open Sesame Vol 2: Press Rewind"

With no formal training, Barista isn’t held back by the codes of conduct that the average musician would find themselves in. And his third album to date, Open Sesame, proves that he treats writing songs like a completely blank canvas without fear of experimentation. With the release of Open Sesame Vol.2 - Press Rewind, even his release schedule bends the rules.

Intentionally anti-commercial, Turkish native Barista would rather base his artistry around his core values - live instrumentation, purposeful lyricism, and passion in abundance. With a voice eerily like Peter Gabriel in his prime, the cheery balladry of opener ‘Haze’ is lifted by Barista’s powerful vocals and blissful lead guitar lines; ‘Statement’ has a sorrowful, Pink Floyd-esque sheen, whilst ‘Sweet’ is a pure, unadulterated fist-in-the-air affair.

Though he’s been vocal about his varied influences, ranging from The Beatles to Erik Satie, from Supertramp to Cat Stevens, the music that feels most influential to Barista is that of Toto. They lay claim to writing the omnipresent track that is ‘Africa’ as well as ‘Hold The Line’, but the band was formed by a group of session musicians that all brought different skills and tastes to the table. 

This is precisely how Open Sesame sounds and feels - a harmonious merging of genres and collaborative spirit (famed session drummer Simon Phillips, who was coincidentally a member of Toto at one time, helped form the album) but with Barista truly at the helm.

With two previous full-length albums under his belt, 2014’s Daydream and 2016’s 57, Barista continues to carve his own path with Vol.2 of his magnum opus Open Sesame. Vol.3 can’t come soon enough.

--Thomas Curtish

MTS Management Group

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